Providing steering shafts for motor vehicles, for which a first shaft part is connected with a second shaft part for transferring a torque by means of a loose positive connection, is known from the prior art. An elastic element, which is provided as an elastomer, which is disposed between an inner damping part and an outer damping part, is disposed between the first shaft part and the second shaft part. The inner damping part and the outer damping part can provide the loose positive connection between the first shaft part and the second shaft part. By means of the elastomer, which is disposed between the inner damping part and the outer damping part, vibrations, transferred over the steering shaft to the first shaft part, can be dampened with respect to the second shaft part. Such a steering shaft is known, for example, from the DE 10 2012 101 386 A1.
From the DE 20 2012 011 579 U1, a device is known for the damping connection of two shaft sections, for which a damping layer is provided between a radial inner bushing and a radial outer bushing, over which vibrations, which have been introduced into one shaft section, can be dampened with respect to the other shaft section.
Basically, it is desired to dampen oscillations and/or vibrations, which are brought into the steering system by the vehicle or by power assistance, in such a way, that they are not perceived by the driver as disorders in the form of noise or disturbance torques, which are transferred to the steering wheel. A challenge consists therein that the damping properties of a steering shaft are selectively designed for the specific problem, for example, the oscillation and/or vibration patterns introduced into the vehicle while it is being operated. It is therefore also an objective to cover a plurality of different oscillation and/or vibration patterns with one configuration of a steering shaft, which is as uniform as possible, and, correspondingly, to be able to operate different types of vehicles with a uniform configuration.
Adapting the respective damping properties, especially also the damping properties in the axial direction of the shaft sections, can be accomplished in the devices known from the prior art by dimensioning the elastomeric layer or damping layer and by the selection of the respective damping material or elastomeric material. Accordingly, a new dimensioning and/or a different material must be used for each application, as a result of which a flexible use of a steering shaft with fixed dimensions as well as identical parts for different applications is possible only to a limited degree.